MSP trains next generation of bomb-sniffing dogs

Dogs will be able to detect explosive material as people walk through crowds

Maryland State Police are hoping to stay one step ahead of terrorists, and they are on the cutting edge of that fight thanks to some very talented creatures. It is a new era in detecting explosives as state police dogs can now sniff out bomb-making material on a person walking through a large crowd.

MSP trains next generation of bomb-sniffing dogs

Dogs will be able to detect explosive material as people walk through crowds

State police dogs can now sniff out bomb-making material on a person walking through a large crowd.

The Boston Marathon bombing and the bombings in Brussels are two recent examples of terrorists using smaller bombs and carrying them through a crowd before setting them off.

Thanks to federal Department of Homeland Security funding and scientific research from the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab, Maryland State Police were the first in the country to train dogs like 6-year-old Jase to be considered master classes in bomb sniffing.

"These dogs can actually find explosive material on people as they walk through large crowds and sniff out, near or far, the so-called 'vapor wake' left behind by a bomb on a person," said Sgt. Scott Scala, a member of the state police's K-9 unit.

"There could be things that could be hidden in a very easy location that a human could never see or smell that a dog could find in 10-15 seconds. There's only two things (that can smell) better than a dog: a bear and a bee."

In 2014, state police started this training and now use Jase and his fellow four-legged troopers to discreetly screen hundreds of people at a time at major events across Maryland.

"Maryland, with its geographic location to the nation's capital, obviously there's a lot of critical infrastructure here and in the D.C. area, and it's very important for us to stay on top of protecting those areas because of the immense population we have," state police Lt. Daniel Nelson said.

State police said there are only several hundred dogs nationwide with this added skill set which is about to become more marketable in law enforcement circles.

"Because at some point if you don't have this capability, you're more than likely going to be behind the times," Scala said.

State police said the federal government likely spent millions of dollars to come up with technology that can sniff out bombs better than a dog. So far, it hasn't been accomplished.